Arizona Tribune - Applied Energetics to Exhibit Ultrashort Pulse Laser Counter-UAS Technology at 2026 Air Force Innovation Expo

TUCSON, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2026 / Applied Energetics, Inc. (OTCQB:AERG), a leader in ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) technology for defense applications, today announced that it will exhibit at the 2026 Air Force Innovation Expo (AIX), taking place October 26-27, 2026, at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona. The company will be located at Booth #712.

AIX is co-located with the 2026 Air Reserve Component Weapons and Tactics (ARC WEPTAC/DCP) Conference, which brings together Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve tacticians, operators, and senior leaders to define the capability needs of the Total Force. The expo is designed to connect solution providers directly with the operational decision-makers who are evaluating technologies for readiness, modernization, and operational effectiveness.

At Booth #712, Applied Energetics will present PLAID™, its ultrashort pulse laser system for countering Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Rather than relying on kinetic interceptors or sustained high-energy beams, PLAID uses picosecond-duration laser pulses to defeat the electro-optical sensors that small drones depend on to navigate, find targets, and transmit imagery. Applied Energetics has demonstrated electro-optical sensor defeat against Group 1 and Group 2 drones, and positions PLAID as a high-volume effector within a layered counter-UAS architecture alongside sensors, command-and-control software, and kinetic and continuous-wave laser systems.

The company's participation follows its selection for an AFWERX Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award sponsored by the Air National Guard, announced in August 2026.

"The Airmen at WEPTAC are the people defending flight lines against small drones right now, and they are the ones who will decide how this mission gets done," said Chris Donaghey, President and CEO of Applied Energetics. "Small drones are only as capable as the sensors that guide them. PLAID is built to take those sensors away at the speed of light, without spending an interceptor on every target. We are coming to AIX to put that capability in front of the operators who will use it and to hear directly from them where the gaps are. Doing that in our own hometown, alongside the Guard and Reserve community that sponsored our STRATFI, makes it especially meaningful."

Attendees, members of the media, and investors attending AIX are invited to visit Booth #712 to meet with the Applied Energetics team. To schedule a meeting during the event, email [email protected].

Event details:

• Event: 2026 Air Force Innovation Expo (AIX), co-located with the 2026 ARC WEPTAC/DCP Conference
• Dates: October 26-27, 2026
• Exhibit hall hours: Monday, October 26, 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.; Tuesday, October 27, 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. (MST)
• Location: Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona
• Booth: #712
• More information: https://aix26.myexpoonline.com/home

About Applied Energetics

Applied Energetics, Inc. is a defense technology company specializing in optical fiber-based ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) weapon systems. Engineered for next-generation Counter-small unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS) mission sets and layered air defense, the company's high-intensity directed-energy weapons (DEW) are designed to disable or destroy critical ISR sensors on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), AI-driven drone swarms, and autonomous robotic platforms across ground, air, and orbital domains. Backed by a proprietary IP portfolio of 26 patents and 6 pending, the company's inherently scalable architecture delivers orders-of-magnitude reductions in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) compared to legacy continuous-wave (CW) systems. This dual-use technology directly supports Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE), one of the Department of War's six critical technology areas, and positions Applied Energetics for defense prime integration, joint ventures, and commercialization.

Today, AE's USPL technologies are being designed to offer flexibility, scale, and power, enhancing layered defense strategies to counter emerging threats. As autonomous weapons and robotic warfare increasingly define the battlefield, the ability to defeat sensors within a layered architecture will be critical and it is central to AE's mission to deliver high-reliability solutions against present and emerging autonomous, AI, and robotic threats.

For more information about Applied Energetics and its innovative technologies, please visit www.appliedenergetics.com.

Applied Energetics, Inc. Investor information contact:

Kevin McGrath, Managing Director
Cameron Associates, Inc.
[email protected]
T: 646-418-7002

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to the historical or current facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "estimates," "plans," "strategy," "target," "prospects," or "continue," and words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of our management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect our current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition and may cause our actual results, performances or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Applied Energetics, Inc.

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